What Kind of Configuration Can Facilitate the Digital Transformation? A fsQCA and NCA Study of SMEs

Abstract

The digital transformation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is an important component of China’s digital construction. Although previous studies have made significant progress in examining the effects of SME digital transformation on efficiency and performance improvement, they have overlooked the exploration of its antecedents, especially the unclear role of the comprehensive impact of various antecedents. Based on the TOE framework, this study conducted antecedent configuration analysis through a questionnaire survey of 172 SMEs and research methods such as fsQCA and NCA. The authors found that: (1) The success of SME digital transformation is not driven by a single factor, but rather the result of the adaptive linkage of various antecedent variables, which has the characteristic of multiple concurrencies, and (2) there are 11 configurations of conditions for SME digital transformation, which can be classified into four paths. This study enriches the research on antecedent factors in SME digital transformation and provides references for SMEs’ digital transformation practice.